Obama Pushing To End Nomination Before Convention

NY Times' The Caucus:

Senator Barack Obama this evening called Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen's proposal of resolving the Democratic nomination contest in June "a good one" - although Mr. Obama seemed to be endorsing a June wrap-up more than the governor's specific plan to let superdelegates caucus to choose either Mr. Obama or Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"I think giving whoever the nominee is two or three months to pivot into the general election would be extremely helpful, instead of having this drag up to the convention," Mr. Obama told reporters as he flew from Greensboro, N.C., to New York City.

Read the whole story: NY Times' The Caucus

Comments

[DesertLight]

You know if the Clinton camp does find a way to get those delegates seated, that could be real trouble for Obama. Am I seeing that right?

[DesertLight]

OOps! I forgot they were supposed to have already adjusted the delegate count for the two states. My bad! So, we're back the the Supers again.

[AnninCA]

Of course. Which is why he made sure he disenfranchised FL and MI.

Obviously, he'd do anything to win. :)

[nohat]

You mean they disenfranchised themselves when they moved their primaries up, don't you?

[ProgressiveBum]

When the rules were laid out, neither Clinton nor Obama objected to the beauty contests of FL and MI. So where's the problem? Has Clinton suddenly grown a conscience? I think not! She was certain everything would be wrapped up by Super Tuesday and didn't bother to plan for anything thereafter.This is definitely NOT what I'd expect from a candidate who claims experience to be 'ready on day one'. It sets a bleak precedence to not have any contingency plans. I don't want that kind of commander-in-chief!
She gambled, she lost, game over. Get over it!

[rmetz74]

Hey Ann, remember that story yesterday about the Michigan State Supreme Court finding that the Michigan primary was unconstitutional?


I recall you posted saying you didn't understand it. Maybe that's because understanding it would mean you couldn't blame Michigan on Obama anymore.

[Seattlelite]

People PEOPLE -- Here's the facts -- Hillary mathematically can NOT take the lead. EVEN if there was a re-do in FL and MI. In ALL remaining or added contests she has to win with 60% of the vote. 2 out of 3 people have to vote for her. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. Her reasons for wanting FL & MI to count is just to increase her numbers to give her a better argument with the super delegates. Hillary's other strategy is to buy time and pray Sen. Obama makes a mistake. It was only after Obama won 11 contests in a row did Hillary find this sudden concern for FL and MI voters. Where was her concern when the rules were put in place? Why did she not protest these rules when she had the chance? Answer - she didn't think it would matter after Super Tuesday.

[rmetz74]

No. Even if those delegates are seated according to the votes that already happened (which they won't be), Obama maintains his leads in delegates and the popular vote.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/democratic_vote_count.html

[bailey2006]

And by "does find a way to get those delegates seated", would you also mean even if by hook or by crook?

[NoGoodNamesLeft]

suggesting that the delegates for FL and MI be seated in a 50-50 split is not the same as advocating for the voter's voices to be heard.

All that does is allows a bunch of delegates to go to a party in Denver and wear funny hats.

[Jacee]

I say this....let them go last. Its all going to be over after NC anyway. The local state parties, that messed it up in the first place will need to pay for it. It will have to be caucuses, cheaper and quicker-its done that night, no messing around with corrupt FL voting machines,

Then they need to be shamed, both of them, for doing this to the Party.

[Jacee]

By them I mean MI and FL.

Hillary just needs to be shamed.

[AnninCA]

His proposition of 50/50 insults the intelligence of all voters.

Hard to believe he even proposed such a nonsensical notion.

[2008andbeyond]

We Obama supporters are not insulted. SO the intelligent group is fine.

You prove that Camp Clinton is lacking that intelligence, otherwise why continue to defend daily lies and distortion?

[Seattlelite]

AnninCA - I can understand dedication to one's candidate but it appears you've lost all sense of reality and judgment where Hillary is concerned. Like your candidate you've lost any sense of what's right and fair and also taken up the" win at any cost attitude". Your candidate and her husband have run a nasty negative, dysfunctional, poorly managed campaign which has back fired on them. They have no one to blame but themselves, so you can trash Sen. Obama and his supporters all you like, doesn't and won't change the results, which is your candidate minus an act of divine intervention from god is not going to be the nominee.

[Indepatriot]

Ann, Hillary's trainwreck of a campaign based on "misspeaking" and her sense of entitlement has been nothing but insulting to voters,particularly her supporters. Please try to get over your dissapointment at her loss and check out Obama with an open mind. I was seriously bummed when Edwards dropped out and Gore was my first choice. I think if you give it a chance Obama's policy positions and his message of change and inclusiveness might just grow on you. Don't dismiss Obama because some of his supporters ( myself included) can be a bit flippant at times. What's really important is that we take back the Whitehouse and get our nation back on track to work for the people.

[Grunty1]

I agree that the 50-50 split is hogwash and doesn't change anything, so why bother?
However, seating based on the current results from the existing contests is no better a solution. if the two states cannot come up with a party approved solution, then the current reality of no delegates is really the ONLY solution.

[JackWOrf]

yeah, that 50-50 split is a good joke. Apparently that is Oblablabla's idea of fairness. He LOSES 50-37, then he splits the delegates 50-50. Must be some kind of ObaMath. Hope his knowledge of economics is a little better than that.

[NoGoodNamesLeft]

Wall Street Journal article analyzing the vote in FL and MI

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120657950286167233.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

[jrterrier]

the wsj article is terrific. it's based on facts rather than hyperbolic bias. how refreshing.

[BitJam]

A Republican at the WSJ argues that the unofficial results from FL and MI should be counted even though Obama did not get a chance to campaign in either state and Clinton had the best name recognition in the Democratic party.

Why am I not surprised?

[AreYouFibbing]

uh huh sure.....hang on to that thought so you can sleep tonight.

[Researchguy66]

Your so-called "logic" does not apply in a post-Obama world. Up is down, Black is White and America is damned. Please keep your logic to yourself.

[lvogt]

If they don't count MI and FL delegates, they must reduce the total needed to win accordingly. If they are disqualified, they cannot be won and therefore cannot be counted in the total.

Therefore, subtracting the 366 delegates which have been disqualified from the total means one needs 1841 total to win.

[NoGoodNamesLeft]

the number needed to win 2024 has already been reduced to reflect FL and MI not counting. If they decide to count them, the number will go UP

[Jacee]

Lie alert!!! On MSNBC

Hillary lips are about to move....

[VOTER]

Will she will tell us again about her experience going into a Marine Recruitment Office

to sign up. Hmmmmmmmmmm

[Jacee]

I think that she will tell us that it was her that outed her husband for his immoral and humliating affair with Monica...that she was undercover CIA at the time and that she was under the desk when Monica was under the desk....

God only knows what the beast will come up with next. All we know is that she lies like Bush lies.

[EyeWantOneNation]

There is so much focus on her "misrepresentation" of the events in Bosnia, people forget she also "misspoke" about her trip with former Ambassador Wilson; which NEVER took place !!!

Why can't people see this woman for the lying, manipulator she really is ???

[VOTER]

I hope she will tell us again about her experience of going into a Marine Recruitment Office to

sign up. It is a GREAT STORY! LOL

[JackWOrf]

OK, so Hillary told a white lie. What about Obama's plagiarized "just words" speech? Was that the height of honesty? And his little full professor bit. And his dealings with Rezko.

Yeah, he just needed to get some advice from Rezko on money laundering. Its really silly for anyone to be concerned. Haha.

If you want integrity, vote for McCain. He's also the only one of the 3 that I would want to answer the damn phone at 3 AM.

[gadfly55]

Obama needs to coordinate superdelegates committing after Indiana/North Carolina when the election of pledged delegates is over as a contest. The superdelegates must resolve the anxiety and dismay from personal attacks from proxies by ending the suspense. The Obama campaign should now begin to act presidential in its focus on specific substantial issues and differences from McCain. Effectively, Hillary should be ignored. Win big in North Carolina and split Indiana. Bring in the superdelegates in the second week of May. Don't hold your breath waiting for the Clintons to concede gracefully, just out play them with the numbers of delegates committed going into the convention. Foregone conclusion for anyone who can add and subtract. Florida and Michigan lost their influence by ignoring the DNC. Let that be a lesson. More moral hazard consequences for states who don't abide by rules for primaries.

[Jacee]

Hillary did not want FL and MI to count until she wanted FL and MI to count. like she didn't want to vote for the war until she voted for the war like she pushed NAFTA until she didn't push NAFTA like bullets were whizzing until bullets weren't whizzing like she voted for laws until she didn't vote for laws like she like she brought pease to Ireland until she did not like she passed S Chip untiil she did not not like Saiffe is a part of the right wind conspriracy until she does an interview bashing Obama.

FL and MI is in a long line of stuff that Hillary was against and is now for or was for and is now against, dependng what state she is in, who is sitting in front of her, her mood or not or if it will get one easliy manipulated vote.

Her 35 yrs with Bill Clinton taught her how to lie and manipulate voters. Thats it.

Bill is out screaming for a fight,except we don't want to fight one another. We want and need and crave being united to a common cause that is hopeful and good and productive.

And these two eels just keep on with an old tired message of lying, maniipulating, fightng, dividing and destroying. I hope they keep it up, it will bethe end of them. That would be a happy day.

Look up and out...higher hopes for all of our futures...Obama 2008

[gadfly55]

Will Bloomberg create Obama Republicans or lose Reagan Democrats? OBAMA BLOOMBERG, good rhyme with alliteration. That would scare the McCain Lieberman pair. Bye bye Hillary.

[Jacee]

Nope. Its going to be Gov Bretison (sp) of Tenn. Unbeatable.

[SaltySaltillo]

What about Webb?
Doesn't Sebelius get a fair shake?

[SaskiaStars]

Facts do no matter to people who have made up their mind. Obama has never stood in the way of resolving the Florida and Michigan vote problem - all he ever called for is fairness. I am a Florida resident and I voted for Obama but I know there are people who support Obama who did not vote because they understood the rules. With 4.2 million registered Democratic voters in Florida and ONLY 1.7 voting, how can anyone know what the turn out would have been if Florida's Republican State Legislature had not moved up the primary? Hillary supporters seem to think that if there was a revote that Hillary would win - I disagree. I think that people here are sick of her BS, she has shown herself to be the power hungry, win-at-all costs, destroy the democratic party for her own gains person that she is.

[sd4peace]

Its interesting that she's now saying that ALL delegates, pledged and super can commit to whoever they want. At the same time she argues that voters in FL and MI are disenfranchised.

If the pledged delegates can vote however they chose, what is the point of awarding them in the first place. If they do go against their pledge, wouldn't that be disenfranchising ALL voters?

[AnninCA]

Too late to pull this PR nonsense, Obama........we already know.

[VOTER]

Apparently, you know very little.

Remember, reading is your friend.

[Jacee]

Good so you know Obama is not a cheat and a liar and is trying his best to play by DNC rules. The same rules that Clinton is screaming, lying and cheating over. Why is she doing that now? Why does she not want to follow the rules she agreed to? 1) She's a liar 2) She is a loosing liar.

[Grunty1]

"we already know"

A lot of us don't read Hillary's talking points, so we DO NOT know what you are talking about.

[nohat]

Hi grunty

[Jacee]

Here are her talking points....

Its the Stupid Voter Stupid

[SLone08]

"We already know" that Hillary's negativity ratings are almost as bad as GWB's. We also know that she is losing support among super delegates and has yet to pick up a significat endorsement.

She has run an awful campaign. It's time for her to pack up her toys and go home.

[Wildcatdiva]

Personally, I think you just like the attention you get here. : P

[BethinIllinois]

Let's see Obama play by the rules of allowing a superdelegate to choose whichever candidate he/she wants, rather than HIM.

[IslandGyal]

I am not a Hillary hater, yet, but she's getting mighty close.

[Grunty1]

If find it interesting that OBAMA is the only trying to find solutions, despite the fact that almost any change that is sensible would hurt him and help Hillary.

Yet the Hillary patrol attacks Obama constantly for Florida's decision. Contradictory much?

[roncraw]

lobbiest for Obama have been fighting not to have Fla & Mich. count.All they talk about is splitting the DEl. 50-50 what a laugh.

[bailey2006]

The Hillary camp has run out of things to attack Obama on. So they are doing reruns. HEY - it isn't summer yet!

[JJI]

Close to what?

[kellygrrrl]

I don't think We would have such a problem if Sen Clinton would behave like a Democrat and starting going for the juggular of the Repub party rather than simultaneously fawning over McCain and bashing Obama

[Jacee]

I am hoping that she keep s her 'I'm only human' statement she made in response to her pathological lying about Bosnia. She has perpetuated that lie over and over and over. No one called heron it until AFTER Ohio. hhhmmmmm.....Our media are just fan freaking tastic aren't they?

So, I am looking for her being human, I gave up on being a Democrat about 3 months ago when she endorsed McCin for Presdient.

Hey...may be she can run as his #2!!! Now that wold accomplish two goals. 1) President Obama and 2) We get the Clintons out the party for good.

[bailey2006]

Yeah, Hillary as #2. ~oh, I think she has been a #2 all along, if you get my drift~

[Countess]

Could anyone please tell me one thing said by Hillary Clinton during this campaign which is not a lie?

[AnninCA]

I never heard him say such things. Of course, I heard him say these things.

Or better yet........

I'll pull the troops out in 16 months. Well, obviously, his plan won't be the same as during the campaign.

or......how bout NAFTAGATE.

As a voter, I pay attention more to the lies spoken to the American voters. And he's got absolutely no room to talk about anyone else's veracity.

[PistonMoaned]

"My name is Hillary Clinton and I approved this message."

[bailey2006]

"I"

That just about sums it up!